Gordon Solie said there are two words to describe the next person he was inducting into the WCW Hall
of Fame, Class of 1994. The words were “total dedication” and Gordon was referring to “Handsome”
Harley Race.

Harley Race wrestled professionally as a teenager in the Midwest before an accident left his body
shattered. Gordon admired the fact that despite being told by doctors that he would never wrestle
again, Harley refused to give up.

Not only did Harley wrestle again, he went on to win the NWA world heavyweight title on seven
different occasions, a feat that was unprecedented at the time.

When I asked Gordon about Harley Race, he told me about the great championship run that Harley had
between 1973 and 1983. Gordon also said that Harley was a very good friend.

On the flip side, Harley told me that Gordon “had the best relationship with more people in the business
in his era or since his era. He was a guest in my home in Kansas on more than one occasion, and I
considered him a great, personal friend.”

It has been over a decade since Gordon Solie passed away and I still miss him every day.

The last time I saw Harley Race; I walked up and said, “Hi there, young man.”

Harley reached out to shake my hand, smiled and chuckled as he said, “I like the sound of that.”

More information about the “Golden Years” of professional wrestling is available atwww.soliesports.com